The New York Supreme Court handed down a judgment on Thursday, Feb. 19, annulling the conclusions of the Village of Kings Point’s environmental review of 2.48 acres of Kings Point Park.
The judgment is a victory for the activist group,Save Kings Point Park, a coalition of residents who have pushed back against the proposed land alienation and swap.
The judgment also calls for the village to withdraw its request to state Sen. Jack Martins and Assembly Member Daniel Norber to pass legislation to allow the village to alienate the parkland.
Norber introduced legislation to this effect, which was passed in the state Senate last year, but the bill is still pending in committee in the Assembly.
“The proposed alienation cannot proceed unless and until SEQRA [the State Environmental Quality Review Act] is complied with,” the judgment reads.
“We’re thrilled with the decision,” said Nancy Sherman, one of Save Kings Point Park’s leading activists. “This is exactly what we hoped for.”
Great Neck residents Daniel Capruso, Stephanie Perrault, Yuang Gu, and Dina Miller sued the village, the Great Neck Park District, and the United Mashadi Jewish Community of America, which would receive the 2.48 acres in exchange for 5.76 acres of its own land under the plan.
Capruso has sued the village in the past for its attempts to alienate a section of Kings Point Park and won the case.
“There’s really substantial pushback from the community because it’s the last remaining forest we have on the peninsula,” Capruso said.
When the Village of Great Neck approved the construction of a center for the United Mashadi Jewish Community of America abutting Kings Point Park, it also approved variances that allowed fewer parking spaces than the village code required, provided the center had a shuttle bus from another parking lot.
Source: LI Press
